Feather-curler



(No Model) D. N. BOSTON. FEATHER 0111114511..

N 556,166. Patented Mar. 10, 1896.

lNI'l'ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID N. BOSTON, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

FEATHER-CURLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,166, dated March 10, 1896.

Application filed December 30, 1895. Serial No. 573,704:- (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID N. BOSTON, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Feather-Curlers; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure l, a side View of the device as held for operation in the open position; Fig. 2, a side View in the closed position; Fig. 3, a section on the line a b of Fig. 2.

This invention relates to an improvement in feather-curlers.

The most common method of curling feathers is to draw the flues of the feather between the thumb and the blade of a knife or shears; but as considerable pressure is required the thumb is soon injured. Therefore in curling a large number of feathers a guard of some character for the thumb is desirable.

The object of this invention is to furnish such a guard and to combine with it a blade between which and the guard the fines may be gripped and drawn; and it consists in the construction as herein after described an d particularly recited in the claims.

' The device consists of a curved guard member a, having a handle at one end thereof, and a blade D pivotedbetween trunnions C formed at the inner end of said guard member. The curvature of the guard corresponds to the natural curvature of the inside of the end of the thumb, and to the face of the guard is applied a cushion a of rubber or other suitable material, which is formed with a longitudinal groove 17. The blade is curved to correspond with the cushion a, over which it projects, and so that its edge may be entered into the groove. 71 therein.

The rear end or tailE of the blade extends rearward over the handle and is formed on its inner face with a stud e, by which the openin g movement is limited. Between the tail E of the blade and the handle B a spring F is arranged, which is secured at one end to the handle and has a bearing at its opposite end upon the under face of the tail E, the tendency of which is to force the tail E upward, and hence the blade end against the guard. The device is held, as shown in Fig. 1, with the thumb beneath the outer end of the guard and the fingers clasped around the handle and rear end of the blade. By pressing downward upon the rear end of the blade the outer end is raised from the cushion a, permitting one or more of the fiues of a feather to be grasped between the blade and the cushion. If the stem of the feather is held in the other hand and the hands separated, the flue will be drawn between the cushion and blade,whereby it is curled in substantially the same way as when drawn between the edge of a blade and the thumb, the cushion a yielding like the flesh of the thumb.

With this device the spring applies a pressure, so that the only power required is that necessary to open the device to receive the flues, and it is found that with this device feathers may be very rapidly and eifectually curled.

I claim- 1. The herein-described feather-curler consisting of a guard member having a handle at one end thereof and an outwardly-curved blade pivoted to the inner end of said guard member, so as to move in a path at right angles to the plane of the face of said guard over which it projects, a longitudinally-curved cushion mounted upon the upper face of said guard member, and conforming in curvature to the curvature of said blade, substantially as described.

2. Theherein-described feather-curler consisting of a guard member having a handle at one end thereof, and a cushion of flexible material mounted upon the upper face of the guard, and formed with a longitudinal groove and blade pivoted to said guard member and extending over the said cushion and adapted to enter the groove therein, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DAVID N. BOSTON. WVitnesses:

.S. E. MERWIN,

E. ll/IOSES. 

